Patient, heal thyself

I don't find it surprising when studies of American/European health care consumption show little relationship between consumption and health outcomes. After a certain point, after all, iatrogenic morbidity and mortality has to outweigh the benefit of marginal treatment. But I confess I am shocked that studies show the same thing in the developing world:

2,194 households containing 2,592 Ghanaian children under 5 y old were
randomised into a prepayment scheme allowing free primary care
including drugs, or to a control group whose families paid user fees
for health care (normal practice); 165 children whose families had
previously paid to enrol in the prepayment scheme formed an
observational arm. The primary outcome was moderate anaemia
(haemoglobin [Hb] < 8 g/dl); major secondary outcomes were health
care utilisation, severe anaemia, and mortality. At baseline the
randomised groups were similar. Introducing free primary health care
altered the health care seeking behaviour of households; those
randomised to the intervention arm used formal health care more and
nonformal care less than the control group. Introducing free primary
health care did not lead to any measurable difference in any health
outcome. The primary outcome of moderate anaemia was detected in 37
(3.1%) children in the control and 36 children (3.2%) in the
intervention arm (adjusted odds ratio 1.05, 95% confidence interval
0.66-1.67). There were four deaths in the control and five in the
intervention group. Mean Hb concentration, severe anaemia, parasite
prevalence, and anthropometric measurements were similar in each group.
Families who previously self-enrolled in the prepayment scheme were
significantly less poor, had better health measures, and used services
more frequently than those in the randomised group.

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